Marine anchor



Jan 1, 1963 L. DAVIS MARINE ANCHOR Filed July 25, 1960 INVENTOR. L g/@ Da v/s Rob e/f J Pafch ATTK 3,07Ld95 Patented Jan. 1, 1963 3,071,095 MARME ANCHGR Lyle Davis, 3720 E. 13th St, Tulsa, @kia. Filed July 25, 1966', Ser. No. 45,140 3 Claims. (Cl. 114-403) The present invention relates to marine anchors, more particularly of the type having folding flukes.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a marine anchor having flukes that are automatically extensible when needed.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of -a marine anchor that will not roll when stored.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a marine anchor of the type having folding flukes, in which means are provided for automatically releasably maintaining the flukes in extended position.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a marine anchor adapted automatically to free itself when fouled.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a marine anchor that will be relatively simple and inexpensive to construct, and dependable, rugged and durable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration ofthe following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view of a marine anchor according to the present invention with the flukes extended as shown in full lines and the flukes collapsed as shown in broken lines, with parts broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end view of an anchor according to the present invention, showing the manner in which the i'lukes prevent rolling;

FIGURE 4 is a view of an individual fluke;

FEGURE 5 is a perspective view of the anchor with the flakes folded; and

FIGURE 6 is a view of the anchor in use, showing the automatic dislodging arrangement when the anchor is fouled.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, there is shown a marine anchor indicated generally at 1, secured to the end of a long flexible anchor line 3. The axis of the anchor is defined by the axis of an anchor shaft 5 which carries at its end a plurality of pins 7 on each of which is mounted at one end an anchor fluke 9. Pins 7 are all disposed in a common plane perpendicular to the axis of shaft 5, so that flukes 9 are mounted for radial outward swinging movement between the phantom and full line positions shown in FIGURE 1.

Anchor shaft 5 is disposed within a hollow cage 11 which is elongated in the direction of the anchor shaft and provided with a plurality of elongated slots 13 parallel to each other and to the length of the cage and parallel to the axis of anchor shaft 5. Each slot is closed at each end, and the slots 13 correspond in number and peripheral spacing to the number and peripheral spacing of flukes 9 about shaft 5. Each fluke 9 has an enlarged outer end portion that remains outside slots 13 at all times and a reduced portion that passes through the slots, so that the enlarged portions of the fluke cannot pass through slots 13 and into the interior of cage 11.

As will be seen from an inspection of FIGURE 1, by comparison of the full and phantom line representations of the anchor shaft and fiukes therein, the opposite sides of the flukes alternately engage with opposite ends of slots 13 thereby to extend or collapse the fiukes. Upon a pull on the anchor line such as will Withdraw shaft 5 partly from cage 11 in an upward direction as seen in FIGURE 1, the flukes engage the tops of the slots as seen in FIGURE 1 to extend the flukes; while upon downward movement of anchor shaft 5 as seen in FIGURE 1, as when the tension in the line is released and the anchor shaft falls by gravity within the cage, the anchor fiukes are collapsed. Also, inward swinging movement of the flukes may be effected for storing the anchor. Although the anchor is generally cylindrical, it will not roll when stored on the deck or like portion of a ship, for the arrangement of the flukes as seen in FIGURE 3 gives it a polygonal configuration which is quite stable. Hence, the provision that the flukes have portions remaining at all times outside the contour of the cage not only serves to aid in the collapse of the flukes but also provides the non-rolling feature of the anchor.

Cage 11 is also provided with a. bottom end cap 15 which makes it possible to assemble the anchor. With cap 15 removed, fiukes 9 can be passed through slots 13 and pins 7 inserted. Thereafter, cap 15 is applied and secured to cage 1i. as by pinning or welding or the like to hold the anchor in assembled relationship.

Anchor shaft 5 is provided with an annular recess 17 intermediate its length, recess 17 being adapted to coact with a portion of cage 11 releasably to retain flukes 9 in extended position. Specifically, the marginal edges of the opening through which anchor shaft 5' enters cage 11 are adapted to fit into recess 17 and to be releasable from the recess upon manipulation of line 3 when it is desired to weigh anchor.

Another important feature of the present invention is the means for automatically releasing the anchor from an obstruction when. the anchor becomes fouled. To this end, an eye It? is provided on cap 15 and line 3 terminates and i secured to this eye. This is not to say that the end of the anchor that bears eye 19 is the line end of the anchor. in ordinary usage, the other end, comprising the exposed end of shaft 5, is the line end of the anchor. However, line 3 is attached to this normal line end of the anchor only by a cord 21 substantially weaker than line 3. Cord Z1 interconnects the exposed end of the anchor shaft with a point on line 3 intermediate the ends of line 3.

Between cord 21 and eye 19, line 3 is slack in all positions of the anchor. Thus, in normal usage, th anchor line will be disposed as seen in FIGURE 1; but when the anchor becomes fouled, the pull on line 3 will break cord 21 long before line 3 is threatened with breakage. Thereupon, the anchor will be turned end for end and cleared, the position of the anchor immediately after the breaking of cord 21 being shown in PEG- URE 6.

In view of the above disclosure, it will be obvious that all of the initially recited objects of the present invention have been achieved.

it i to be understood that the present invention is to be accorded a range of equivalents commensurate in scope with the advance over the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. A marine anchor comprising an anchor shaft, a plurality of flukes pivotaily mounted on the anchor shaft for swinging movement radially inward and outward of the shaft between a first position in which the flukes overlie the shaft and extend from adjacent one end of the shaft toward the other end of the shaft and a second position in which the flukes extend radially outward from the shaft, and a cage in assembly with the shaft, the shaft and the fiukes carried thereby being movable relative to the cage axially on the shaft, the cage having a plurality of slots closed at each end and extending through the side walls of the cage, one of the flukes extending through each slot, so that upon relative move- A ent of the shaft and cage in a direction to withdraw the shaft from the cage the flakes move with the shaft relative to the cage and engage one closed end of the slots to swing the flukes radially outward away from the shaft from the first to the second position, while upon relative movement of the shaft and cage in the other direction the flukes move with the shaft relative to the cage and engage the other closed end of the slots to swing the flakes radially inward toward the shaft from the second to the first position.

2. A marine anchor as claimed in claim 1, the fiukes having portions disposed inside the cage at all times and portions disposed outside the cage at all times, the

latter ortions lying flat against the cage when the flakes are in their radially inwardly swung position.

3. A marine anchor as claimed in claim 1, the shaft having a recess therein for receiving and releasably retaining a portion of the cage only when the flukes are in the second position thereby releasably to maintain the fluke extended.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 707,683 Farewell Aug. 26, 1902 1,087,444 Hamilton Feb. 17, 1914 2,851,983 Hrivnyak Sept. 16, 1958 2,940,411 Bartels etal. June 14, 1960 

1. A MARINE ANCHOR COMPRISING AN ANCHOR SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF FLUKES PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE ANCHOR SHAFT FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT RADIALLY INWARD AND OUTWARD OF THE SHAFT BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH THE FLUKES OVERLIE THE SHAFT AND EXTEND FROM ADJACENT ONE END OF THE SHAFT TOWARD THE OTHER END OF THE SHAFT AND A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH THE FLUKES EXTEND RADIALLY OUTWARD FROM THE SHAFT, AND A CAGE IN ASSEMBLY WITH THE SHAFT, THE SHAFT AND THE FLUKES CARRIED THEREBY BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE CAGE AXIALLY ON THE SHAFT, THE CAGE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SLOTS CLOSED AT EACH END AND EXTENDING THROUGH THE SIDE WALLS OF THE CAGE, ONE OF THE FLUKES EXTENDING THROUGH EACH SLOT, SO THAT UPON RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE SHAFT AND CAGE IN A DIRECTION TO WITHDRAW THE SHAFT FROM THE CAGE THE FLUKES MOVE WITH THE SHAFT RELATIVE TO THE CAGE AND ENGAGE ONE CLOSED END OF THE SLOTS TO SWING THE FLUKES RADIALLY OUTWARD AWAY FROM THE SHAFT FROM THE FIRST TO THE SECOND POSITION, WHILE UPON RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF THE SHAFT AND CAGE IN THE OTHER DIRECTION THE FLUKES MOVE WITH THE SHAFT RELATIVE TO THE CAGE AND ENGAGE THE OTHER CLOSED END OF THE SLOTS TO SWING THE FLUKES RADIALLY INWARD TOWARD THE SHAFT FROM THE SECOND TO THE FIRST POSITION. 